Page 84 of Master
Emmy crossed her arms over her chest with a loudharrumph."Mine hurt like a bitch… felt like a heart attack."
"Why did yours hurt worse than ours?" I wondered aloud, secretly thinking Emmy being stubborn as a mule might be an issue.
"Maybe because Emmy was the first and their goddess wanted to test us human girls?” Daisy's suggestion made more sense.
"Glad we passed." Emmy rubbed the spot over her heart with a smile.
"Me too," I echoed.
"Me too," Tarook said, striding up and sliding onto the bench beside me.
Khaion and Daicon followed suit, the wood groaning under their combined weight.
"How did it go?" Emmy asked. She studied her mate curiously, as though there was something in his expression she didn't like.
"I don't think he knows anything," Daicon snorted with a frown. "Just a greedy bastard who'd sell out his own people for some credits."
A pretty apt description of the mayor, in my opinion.
"He told the same story that he told me and the peacekeeper." Tarook slid an arm around my waist. Every time someone mentioned Parlow's name, Tarook became protective. "He swears all he knew was the Kersak wanted to check out mumje's effectiveness on humans."
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Daisy asked.
Tarook barked a laugh. "I think Daicon scared him too much to lie." His attention turned to the massive male across the table, nose curling in distaste. "Did you really have to make the man piss himself?"
Daicon shrugged, drawing a laugh from his comrades.
"So, the Kerzak are behind drugging the people of Tau Ceti," I grumbled. While excited about beginning my life among the stars with Tarook, I didn't like leaving my new friends and the children behind while danger lurked.
"The planetary scan didn't uncoverindication of Kerzak on the planet." Daicon's words were meant to comfort.Still, I worried.
"Siemba's intel suggests Nansar has been mining mumje for years. Unsubstantiated reports say he has enough mumje to subjugate an entire planet." Khaion said, his eyes growing hard.
During the tale of meeting Marilyn Monroe, Emmy mentioned that her mate Siemba was a species called Stranac. In appearance, he was a braver, handsomer version of the Cowardly Lion… and a much better dresser. Siemba ranked as one of the wealthiest individuals in the galaxy… as well as head of the spy ring the Vaktaire heavily relied on.
"Siemba's married to Marilyn Monroe." Emmy reminded me, waggling her brows excitedly. I felt kind of bad not comingclean about Elvis. Perhaps I'd do it once we'd left Tau Ceti to avoid awkwardness for Lula and Buck. I recalled Emmy being a huge Elvis fan in her youth. I also needed to tell them how the Alliance used to wipe abductee’s mind with the assent of our own government. Not today, though. Today was a happy day.
"Could Nansar plan to use the mumje on Earth?" Daisy's hazel eyes flickered over the nearby villagers who were busy preparing another potluck feast. "There has to be a reason he wanted to test it here."
Nansar was the only son of Duke Ako, the most powerful man in the universe and a leader in the governing Alliance. Once thought to be a friend to the Vaktaire and supportive of humans, Nansar showed himself to be a complete jackass during a meeting with Khaion and Emmy and now held our friend Willa captive.
"I don't know," Khaion mulled. "Just in case, we will contact the Alliance to be on alert and send another battle cruiser to guard Earth, as well as have one sent to protect Tau Ceti."
"Do you really think Duke Ako doesn't know what Nansar's up to?" Tarook asked, brows gathered in thought.
"Duke Ako lost his mate to a Kerzak blade. He would never ally himself with the creatures nor stand by if he knew of Nansar's affiliation." Khaion's opinion brooked no opposition.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Daisy glancing about to make sure Ewok didn't linger within earshot. Her expression held the determination of a mother intent her adopted child did not suffer from an unfortunate birthright. After meeting the little male, I couldn't agree more.
"I still can't believe Nansar is working with the Kerzak," Emmy huffed. "His own mother was human."
The overload of information took a lot to keep straight.
"Nansar? The guy mining the mumje who kidnapped Willa had a human mother?" I needed clarification.
"Yes," Khaion nodded. "Nansar's mother was the Duke's first human concubine—a woman named Helene. It is said the Duke cared for her a great deal." The Chieftain's hand went to the back of Emmy's neck, fingers undulating in a slow massage. Daicon's arm surrounded Daisy's shoulders, his lips perched on her temple. At my side, Tarook's hand slid in a slow massage up and down my thigh. Duke Ako wasn't the only alien male to care deeply for a human woman.
"What happened to her?" If the Duke cared for his human female only a fraction of how much these Vaktaire warriors cared for us gals...
